Gift of Life
by Shadowy2012
Summary: Picks up directly after the Season 1 finale. Hope you're ready for action, suspense, and maybe even some romance down the line.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Gift of Life

**Summary: **Picks up directly after the Season 1 finale.

**Author's Note:** Hope you're ready for action, suspense, and maybe even some romance down the line.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. This is just fanfic. Be cool, NBC soda pops.

**Rating:** TV-14 (if this were the realio dealio)

* * *

Tom's men put the finishing touches on the explosives. He waits, eyes dark and focused as ever. He's going to blast his way in, and then, he's going to kill them all. And he hoped to start with that little bitch Matheson girl, the ultimate thorn in his side.

Jason looks over at his father with a set jaw. He glares at him with anger in his eyes. He hates him. His father had betrayed his trust. Again. But even more than he hated his father, he hated himself. Because he'd foolishly trusted him. Again.

KABOOM. The door blows. It's instant barrage of militia gunfire. Rachel and Aaron duck for cover as Miles and Charlie do their best to return fire, but as they're the only two with weapons, they are outnumbered by Tom's half a dozen men unloading in their direction.

Miles kneels behind the desk as bullets ricochet above him. He sneaks over to the other side of the room, takes aim, and is able to take out two men, as Charlie shoots her own pair.

Two last two men step forward and open fire as Charlie realizes she's out of bullets.

"Damn it." She mutters as she exchanges a glance with her mother. Rachel then turns to Miles across the room, and he's got the same look of dread and finality. He's out too. They're all going to die here.

As bullets strike above them, Charlie puts the gun onto the ground and just sits there, arms slung casually across her knees as though they weren't being fired upon with automatic weapons. It's like she's in another place now, with an odd peace on her face. An ironic smirk appears, as she can't help but find the irony in it all. They did it. They turned the lights back on. And now they get to die. Was this they're reward? Or was this a punishment? Depending on which, it spoke volumes as to their karma.

Rachel sees her daughter staring off into space. She can't stand seeing her daughter like this. She's too at peace with death. Too accepting of her fate. Too ready to die. And it terrifies her.

Suddenly - more gunfire rings out. But it doesn't strike anywhere near them. Miles frowns. He peeks over, and with interest now renewed, Charlie joins him. Shock spreads across their faces. Rachel and Aaron see this, and cautiously take a look themselves.

Everyone stares at the image of the last two men dead in the doorway, and Jason standing behind them, his rifle smoking and now pointed right at his father - who points a handgun right back at him. The two Nevilles stand off, as Miles, Charlie, and Aaron slowly stand.

"Put. The. Gun. Down." Tom orders slow and steady.

"You first, sir." Jason speaks, with ironic, disgusted emphasis on the final word.

"You look a bit outnumbered here Tom. You shoot Jason, maybe you even shoot me - " he begins as he cautiously approaches with a raised hand, " - but are you so sure you can get off another shot at Charlie, Rachel, hell even Aaron before one of us reaches your sorry ass."

Charlie steps forward now, not so cautiously. She wants to protect Jason. It's clear on her face she's willing to risk her life to do so, just like he just risked his for her.

Tom turns the gun on Charlie. Miles' eyes go wide, "Hey hey!"

"Don't!" Jason barks.

Tom doesn't move though. He just calmly keeps his gun trained on Charlie. His eyes glance over to his son.

"You really going to shoot me? Are you really going to kill your father, for some - little piece of ass?"

Rachel frowns. She'd noticed her daughter exchange a flirtatious glance or two with Jason during their brief time as a group at the rebel base, but she never imagined there was really anything more to it. And she hoped even now that there wasn't. After all, he is Tom Neville's son. He's militia. The thought disgusted her. Then again, he stands there now, willing to murder his own father in order to save her daughter. Or was he?

"Charlie step back." Her mother orders protectively.

Charlie easily ignores her. She also ignores the pleading, irritated look on Miles' face as she takes another step forward.

Tom cocks the gun. Jason adjusts his, threateningly. Tom looks at his son again, a hint of humor in his usually black eyes. He pauses. Looks hard at his son's face, and then - he sees it. Jason really will kill him. His smirk drops and his eyes go cold in realization of the ultimate betrayal his son is capable of. Looks like his son has balls after all. Even if he is a traitorous little bastard.

Tom lifts the gun in submission. Miles rushes him, taking the gun and shoving him hard against the wall as Charlie follows, stepping in the space between her uncle and Jason.

"You've threatened my family for the last time, Tom." Miles puts the gun to the back of Neville's head. He steps back next to Charlie, readying his aim. His fingers is about to squeeze the trigger when -

"Rachel?" a voice calls to their right. Grace appears, eyes wide as she takes in the scene.

Miles turns, and that's all the opportunity Tom needs. In a flash, Tom elbows him in the face and regains control of the gun. A quick whip and Miles takes the hard metal of the barrel to his temple, sending him to the floor.

Jason lifts his gun again but Charlie is in his line of fire as she quickly reaches for Tom's gun. The two struggle a split second until Jason drops his rifle and grabs his father from behind in a choke hold. With Jason's grip on his neck and Charlie's on his wrist, Tom struggles for survival as Rachel and Aaron rush towards them, stopping to help Miles to his feet. Suddenly -

BOOM. The gunshot is deafening. Everyone freezes. Jason loosens his grip. Tom drops to the ground. They all stand there a moment, looking down at him. Miles especially can't take his eyes off of him, and he frowns as he realizes something's wrong. There's no blood forming under Tom. Miles takes a dizzy step forward and reaches down, turning Neville over.

Everyone sees now, that Tom's not been shot. He's just out cold from Jason's choke hold. But if he's not shot then -

Rachel's face drops as she - and everyone - look at Charlie, who just stands there, her back to them. She turns slowly, and then it becomes visible. The growing red on her white shirt. She brings a hand to her stomach, and collapses.

"Charlie!" Rachel screams as they all rush to surround her and Jason catches her before she can fall. He gently lowers her to the ground.

Rachel grasps desperately at her daughter, her hands becoming bloody and then smearing it across Charlie's already bloody and bruised face as she gently cups it.

"Baby, baby stay with us." she pleads as Charlie's eyes start to glaze over.

"Charlie - Charlie!" she yells as Miles applies pressure with furiously shaking hands. Aaron just stands there, his eyes wide. Jason looks lost and desperate, unable to move.

"Grace - " Rachel looks up at her former friend, "You have to help us, Grace - "

But Grace ignores her now as she walks right past them to the doorway, looking inside at the screen, horror on her already troubled face.

"What did you do..." Grace finally manages to ask in knowing dread, tears in her eyes.

* * *

Miles quickly places Charlie onto the bed in the infirmary as Aaron digs furiously through the nearby supplies. Jason finally steps in and shoves him out of the way, retrieving what he knows is needed and quickly bringing it to Miles, as he works quickly to try to stop the bleeding.

"Just hang on Charlie, I'm not losing you too." he says with a slight crack to his usually strong and sure voice.

Rachel sees this and knows it must be bad. But this can't happen. It just can't. In pure desperation, she hovers over her -

"Charlie, hey. You remember - the summer before the blackout? We took a road trip, do you remember that? To Virgina Beach. It took us hours to get there but when we did and you saw the ocean for the first time - your face just lit up." Rachel pauses, tears running down her face now as she tries to keep composed as a pale Charlie blinks lazily, barely clinging to consciousness.

"I had never seen you happier. And when we had to leave, you were so upset. You wanted to stay. You begged your dad and me to move us there." she smiles through the tears at the innocent memory. She sniffs, and wipes a tear as she continues, "The only way we could get you into the car was for me to promise to take you to see it again. But then the black out - "

Rachel saddens a moment, then her face hardens with conviction, her eyes going firm through the tears. She focuses her eyes on her daughters'.

"I promise you Charlie, I promise you - I will take you to see the ocean again. If you just hold on." Her face shifts to pure pain once again. More desperately now she pleads, "Don't leave me. I have so much to make up to you..."

She weeps now, burying her face down next to Charlie's arm on the bed as Miles continues to try to do what he can to try to save the only person he has left.

* * *

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **Gift of Life

**Summary: **Picks up directly after the Season 1 finale.

**Author's Note:** Hope you're ready for action, suspense, and maybe even some romance down the line.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. This is just fanfic. Be cool, NBC soda pops.

**Rating:** TV-14 (if this were the realio dealio)

* * *

**CHAPTER 2**

Grace waits in a daze with the gun trained on Tom.

Suddenly, he stirs, slowly wakes, and looks around, spotting her at first, and then - the screen. His eyes register the quickest hint of sheer horror. Tears form, but none fall. And just like that, they go dark and empty again.

"My wife - is likely dead."

He looks at Grace now. Right at her. And she at him.

"And they helped kill her. They all helped kill thousands. Simply to fulfill their own selfish desire - for light." He finishes in disgust at such trivialness.

"And people call ME cold-blooded."

A moment of silence passes as he lets her chew on that. Finally, he shifts to prepare to stand. She points the gun in warning. He stops. Holds eye contact with her.

"You're not a killer," he points out. "Not like them."

Their eye lock remains. He's in her head and he knows it, and she knows it, but she also knows he's right. She's not a killer. Protecting people...that's all she's ever wanted. It's what she's dedicated her life to. And now, she realizes, it's all been for nothing.

Tears form in her eyes. He reaches very slowly - and grasps the barrel of the gun. She holds still a moment, but ultimately puts up no fight, still in disbelief at it all, as he takes the gun from her.

Now armed, Tom hovers over her a moment. Is he going to kill her? He looks down at this broken shell of a woman. He turns, deciding to just leave her there with her own mental anguish and struggling conscience.

A moment later, he's exiting the front of tower, emerging outside. His men greet him, asking what happened.

He replies with a simple, "Everything."

"Sir?" they question.

He stares up at the night sky. He didn't go through all of this, get so close to being the leader he always dreamed of being, only to lose it all. He steps past them. Looks out over the horizon. Thinks. Sure, he'd find and kill Miles and the rest of them, eventually. But for now he needed to find out if his wife was really dead from the bombings, and if she indeed was, find whomever gave the order to push that damn button and kill them first. And slowly. But in order to do that, he knew he'd need more than just one gun and the half a dozen young soldiers standing there awaiting the orders of their new leader.

"We have an army to raise."

And with that, Tom Neville begins to walk, and his men follow this man, now on a deadly new mission.

* * *

Charlie stirs. Her eyes open, blurred surroundings coming into view. She wakes fully now, finding herself in only her bra and jeans, her stomach wrapped and bandaged at the upper waist. She instinctively tries to sit up.

Rachel, sleeping in a chair next to her, wakes quickly at the sound of Charlie's wince.

"Charlie...?" She speaks with sheer relief as she pushes forward and stands next to her.

From around the corner, Jason and Aaron emerge when they hear Rachel. Miles isn't with them, having needed a moment to gather himself after everything. He'd gone to check on Grace, whom Jason had briefly returned to, armed, and asked to keep an eye on his father, still unconscious at the time. Little did he know...

As Jason and Aaron draw closer, Rachel instantly goes from relief to protective mother. She grabs a sheet and covers her semi-topless daughter.

Charlie barely notices, as she could really care less. She's not exactly the modest type.

"Charlie?" Jason is the first to cautiously question.

"What happened?" Charlie asks weakly, her throat dry and head spinning as she's still trying to register it all.

"Lie back. Don't move. You've lost a lot of blood. You need to rest." Her mother tells her in concern.

Charlie looks around the room.

"Where's Miles?"

Rachel can't help but smile slightly through tearfully relieved eyes. Her daughter was incredible. Always concerned for others, even when herself knocking on death's door.

"He's fine, he just went to check on something."

Charlie nods slightly. Then, her eyes find Jason's as he stares down at her on the other side of her bed, in deep concern.

"Thought I'd never see you alive again." He admits.

"Same here." She finally says as she recalls the image of him outside the tower as the doors had closed between them.

A moment passes between them now as her eyes thank him for what he'd done for her. He'd betrayed his own father for her. Again. She sees the sadness in his eyes and she knows this time there's no turning back for him. He's been hurt one two many times. She knows, because she's been there. Things will never be the same for him. And she knows what that's like. And he knows she does, and appreciates the comfort in it.

Rachel can't help but notice this moment between them and her smile fades a little in response. Her eyes trail down now as she sees Jason move his hand forward like he wants to take Charlie's, and her fingers spark in return, obviously wanting to take his. But they don't. They both hold back. There's a deep intimacy in this action that Rachel doesn't like...in them sharing this moment of mirrored hesitation filled with such mutual angst and obvious longing.

Inside, Rachel prays it's just all in her head. She doesn't fully trust Jason. Especially when it comes to her daughter, whom for all intents and purposes is, in her mind, still her baby girl. She doesn't care if she's now 19 and a brave warrior, trained by none other than Miles Matheson. She's still her Charlotte. Innocent, wide eyed little Charlie who screamed for her mom as she walked away all those years ago. At this thought, guilt washes over her again. For everything. Including Nora's loss only hours ago. Would Charlie ever forgive her? She can't help but wonder, though she pushes it away quickly, instead deciding, at least for now, to just be relieved she was alive at all.

"Are you alright?" Aaron asks Charlie as he finally deems it ok to step closer, and break the tension.

Charlie's eyes trace down to her own stomach as her hand lightly touches a spot near her wound. A grimace spreads across her tired face.

"You tell me." She jests.

"Miles said the bullet went straight through. Missed your vital organs, and your spine. You were lucky." Rachel explains.

"Lucky?" She asks incredulously at such a suggestion. "Sure."

She looks away from her mother now, as she doesn't want to show just how angry she is, but Rachel still picks up on it, and can't help but be hurt. She's also concerned, as once again, her daughter has shown just how flippant she is when it comes to her own mortality.

* * *

Miles stands in the hallway outside Level 12. He's bent over, hands on knees as he breathes. He pushes upright and looks down at his blood-stained hands, a mixture of memories of Nora and Charlie flooding back to him as he eyes the combinations of deep carmine all over him. He regains his composure. Charlie has to be ok. She has to be.

And he has to focus. On Tom. The bastard who shot her. If that snake was still alive in there, it wouldn't be for long.

He turns the corner and -

- stops in his tracks at: Grace, just sitting there, in the doorway, empty-handed. And Tom is gone.

Miles' eyes become full of dread, and anger.

"What did YOU do?" He spits in ironic retaliation for her earlier similar accusation.

* * *

Miles rounds the corner to the infirmary, Grace's arm firmly in his grasp as he shoves her inside.

Everyone turns and looks in surprise. He's about to explain when his eyes shift past them to find Charlie. Awake. Sheer relief crosses his face.

Her eyes meet his and she offers a very slight nods of silent assurance that only he would understand. She's telling him she's ok. She knows he needs it for him to be ok. He barely nods back. Then, he quickly focuses as he's now back to business, like always.

"Well Tom's gone," he announces in his signature annoyance. "And you can thank this one for that."

Grace finally snaps out of her daze long enough to glare up at him.

"Thank ME?" She asks in disbelief that he would dare lay blame of any kind upon her after what they just did. They'd killed her friends. They'd killed scores in Philly and Atlanta. Before she can speak again -

"What do you mean Tom's gone?" Rachel asks in instant anger. She looks to Grace in accusation.

"Don't. You dare." Grace seethes and shakes her head.

"I am done. With you. With ALL of this." She says in finality, with intensely disgusted defeat. And with that, she turns and exits. Miles lets her. She doesn't matter any more either way, he figures.

Once gone, they all stand there a moment in silence as the truth washes over them. They all know what they've done. The question is -

"Now what?" Aaron asks.

* * *

To be continued...


End file.
